Conventionally, game machines are known which read a data area of a data card and display an image on a display screen in accordance with the content of a bar code which is the data area. In addition, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 2001-334012 and 2002-263361, game machines are known which realize, for example, special player versus player games in accordance with the content of a read bar code.
On the above-described card, data is stored so as to be optically, electrically, or magnetically readable. For example, an optical storage method is as follow. With a block of a predetermined area being a unit, a plurality of blocks are collected in a scan direction to form a storage region. Then, dots are distributed over a two-dimensional array of blocks and the dots are printed on a predetermined region of a card so as to be distributed randomly, whereby data is stored. This storage method is hereinafter referred to as the “two-dimensional bar code storage method” and the printed data is hereinafter referred to as the “two-dimensional bar code”.
To read data from a data card such as the two-dimensional bar code, generally a special card reader is used. A card reading apparatus is connected to a predetermined game machine via a connector. Then data of a data card is read by a player using the card reading apparatus and the data is incorporated into the game machine, whereby a game is provided which is playable with the card. Typically, the player uses the card reading apparatus to obtain a special prize or additional data for the game the player is currently playing.
In the above conventional case, however, the data stored on the data card is incorporated into the game machine connected to the card reading apparatus and the game machine is the one which uses the data. That is, the game machine reading the card is guaranteed use of the data read from the card. Therefore, the operation of reading data from a card is monotonous and tedious for a player. Up to now, there exist no entertaining games involving the operation of reading a card.
Therefore, a feature of an illustrative embodiment is to provide a game system and a storage medium having stored therein a game program, which realize a more engaging game by providing an entertaining way to read data stored on a card.
An illustrative embodiment has the following features to attain the object mentioned above. It is to be understood that reference numerals, etc., in parentheses are provided for the purpose of assisting in the understanding of the illustrative embodiments and showing the corresponding relationship with an embodiment, as will be described later, and thus are not intended to limit the scope of the illustrative embodiments.
One game system of the illustrative embodiments has a data reading apparatus (game machine 10a having card reader 40 installed thereon) and a plurality of game machines (10b to 10d) which are communicably connected to each other through a communication cable (50). The game system comprises master/slave setting means (CPU 21 which performs step S1; hereinafter only step numbers will be provided). The master/slave setting means sets, among the plurality of game machines, a game machine (10b) with authority to start communication as a master machine and sets the other game machines (10c and 10d) as slave machines (slave machines A and B). The plurality of game machines each comprise operation means (control switch 13), communication means (connector 14, communication I/F 24, and sending and receiving data buffers), and game processing means (S4, S12). The operation means inputs operation data in response to an operation by a player. The communication means sends and receives data to and from other game machines and the data reading apparatus through the communication cable. The game processing means processes a game in accordance with the operation data input from the operation means. The game machine set as the master machine comprises read data acquisition means (S2), game start instruction means (S3), determination means (S6), and data sending means (S7). Through the communication means, the read data acquisition means acquires data (card data CD) read into the data reading apparatus. The game start instruction means instructs (start information SI) the other game machines (10c and 10d) to start the game through the communication means. The determination means determines a game machine to which the read data acquired by the read data acquisition means is to be sent, based on processing results of the game processed by each game processing means (CPU 21 of game machine 10b which performs step S4 and CPUs 21 of game machines 10c and 10d which perform step S12). The data sending means sends the read data acquired by the read data acquisition means to the game machine determined by the determination means through the communication means.
The game machines set as the slave machines each may further comprise game processing result sending means (S13). The game processing result sending means sends a processing result (result data RDa and RDb) of the game processed by the game processing means to the game machine set as the master machine through the communication means. In this case, the game machine set as the master machine may further comprise result collection means (S5). The result collection means collects the processing results of the game having been sent from each game processing result sending means.
The data reading apparatus may include a card reader (40), for example. The card reader generates card data (CD) by mechanically reading a data storage region (46) of a card (45), the data storage region having stored therein data and being provided on a main surface of the card (card reading section 43; S32). In this case, the read data acquisition means may acquire the card data generated by the card reader as the read data. Typically, the data reading apparatus may be a game machine (10a) having the card reader installed thereon.
The read data acquisition means may transfer a read data sending program to the data reading apparatus (S21). In this case, the data reading apparatus may execute the read data sending program (S31) to send the read data to the game machine set as the master machine (S33).
A game program stored in a storage medium of an illustrative embodiment is executed by computers (CPUs 21) of a plurality of game machines. The game machines and a data reading apparatus are communicably connected to each other through a communication cable. The game program allows each computer to execute a master/slave setting step (S1) and a game processing step (S4, S12). The master/slave setting step sets, among the plurality of game machines, a game machine with authority to start communication as a master machine and sets the other game machines as slave machines. The game processing step processes a game in accordance with operation data in response to an operation by a player. If a game machine is set as the master machine at the master/slave setting step, the game program allows the computer of the game machine (CPU 21 of game machine 10b) to execute a read data acquisition step (S2), a game start instruction step (S3), a determination step (S6), and a data sending step (S7). Through the communication means, the read data acquisition step acquires data read into the data reading apparatus. The game start instruction step instructs the other game machines to start the game through the communication cable. The determination step determines a game machine to which the read data acquired at the read data acquisition step is to be sent, based on processing results of the game processed by the computers of the plurality of game machines (CPUs 21 of game machines 10b to 10d) at the game processing step. The data sending step sends the read data acquired at the read data acquisition step to the game machine determined at the determination step through the communication cable.
If a game machine is set as the slave machine at the master/slave setting step, the game program stored in the storage medium may further allow the computer of the game machine (CPUs 21 of game machines 10c and 10d) to execute a game processing result sending step (S13). The game processing result sending step sends a processing result of the game processed at the game processing step to the game machine set as the master machine through the communication cable. In this case, if a game machine is set as the master machine at the master/slave setting step, the game program stored in the storage medium may further allow the computer of the game machine to execute a result collection step (S5). The result collection step collects the processing results of the game having been sent from the game machines set as the slave machines.
For example, the data read into the data reading apparatus may be card data generated by mechanically reading a data storage region of a card, the data storage region having stored therein data and provided on a main surface of the card. In this case, the read data acquisition step may acquire the card data as the read data.
The read data acquisition step may include a step of transferring a read data sending program for sending the read data to the data reading apparatus (S21). In this case, the read data acquisition step may acquire the read data through the communication cable (S22), by executing the read data sending program to send the read data to the game machine set as the master machine (S33).
According to a game system of the illustrative embodiments, since the data read into the data reading apparatus is sent to a specific game machine(s) among a plurality of game machines communicably connected to each other, based on game results, an amusing game can be provided which uses the read data to be sent as special prize data, which is given only to a specific player(s). Accordingly, all players who operate the game machines connected to the game system can enjoy an amusing game.
Further, in the case where the slave machines include game processing result sending means, and the master machine includes result collection means, a game machine acting as the master machine can receive game processing results from other game machines connected thereto, comprehensively determine the rankings of game processing results of the master and slave machines, and thus the game machine acting as the master machine can send read data to a specific game machine(s) based on the rankings.
In the case where the read data is card data generated by mechanically reading a data storage region of a card which has data stored therein and which data is provided on a main surface of the card, nobody knows which game machine will acquire the card data from the operation of reading the card by a card reader machine, and thus the operation of reading the card itself provides a fun experience. In addition, card data stored on a card, which is conventionally intended to simply be read, can be used as special prize data for which the game is played. Further, in the case where the data reading apparatus is a game machine having a card reader installed thereon, the data reading apparatus can be implemented by only installing a card reader on one of game machines in the game system, and thus it is possible to reduce the cost of providing a special data reading apparatus.
In the case where the master machine transfers, to the data reading apparatus, a read data sending program for sending read data to the master machine, a game machine in the game system can add a read data sending function to the data reading apparatus according to the game system, and thus it is possible to reduce the cost of providing a special data reading apparatus which is provided with a read data sending function.
The illustrative embodiments can also be realized as a storage medium having stored therein a game program to be executed by computers of game machines in the aforementioned game system, in which case also the same advantageous effects as those described above can be provided. In addition, since in the storage medium having stored therein the game program all game machines play a game to compete for data read from the data reading apparatus, it is not necessary to provide the storage medium, having stored therein the game program, individually to the master and slave machines. That is, merely by connecting a plurality of game machines and a data reading apparatus to each other, read data is sent to a specific game machine(s) based on game processing results of all the game machines, and thus the read data is used as special prize data given only to a specific player(s). Accordingly, a storage medium having stored therein a game program which realizes a more amusing game can be provided.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the illustrative embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.